>> Rooney: THE SCULPTURE
PARK AND MUSEUM RECENTLY
OPENED ITS SUMMER SHOW.
A LOOK AT TWO DECADES WORTH
OF WORK BY ARTIST CHAKAIA
BOOKER.
JARED BOWEN HAS THIS PROFILE
OF BOOKER'S ART MADE OF A
MOST UNUSUAL MATERIAL.
RRT THE SCULPTURE OF ARTIST
CHAKAIA BOOKER BRIMS WITH
LIFE IN ITS SHADES OF GLASS.
PIECES TANTALIZED WITH
APPARENT TENT AGO ELS.
THEY ENCHANT WITH HUMAN
FORM.
AND SOMETIME THESE ARE JUST
BLATANTLY SUGGESTIVE.
>> SHE IS AN ENIGMA.
SHE IS A LITTLE HARD TO GET
TO KNOW.
SHE'S VERY QUIET.
SHE DOESN'T TALK MUCH ABOUT
HERSELF.
AND SHE DOESN'T TALK MUCH
ABOUT HER WORK EITHER.
>> Reporter: LEAVING PATRONS
HERE AT THE DECORDOVA
SCULPTURE PARK AND MUSEUM TO
DRAW THEIR OWN IMPRESSIONS
WITH AND THERE IS MUCH
OPPORTUNITY WITH.
CHAKAIA BOOKER'S WORK IN AND
OUT, THE INSTITUTION HAS
STAGED THE LARGEST EXHI
BUSINESS OF BOOKER'S WORK
EVER.
>> ALMOST UNANIMOUSLY SHE IS
DESCRIBED AS ONE OF THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT CONTEMPORARY
ARTISTS WORKING TODAY IN
SCULPTURE.
WHAT MAKES HER SO.
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF
REASONS.
CERTAINLY IT'S HER EXHI
BUSINESS TRACK RECORD IT IS
JUST A MAGNITUDE OF WHAT SHE
CAN DO PHYSICALLY WITH THIS
VERY WEIRD AND OBVERANT
MATERIAL.
ONCE PROCLAIMED THE QUEEN OF
RUBBER SOUL, BOOKER SKULL S
IN TIRES.
>> SHE FINDS AUTOMOBILE
TIRES, TRUCK TIRES, BICYCLE
TIRES, SCOOTER TIRES, TOY
TIRES, BRINGS THEM BACK TO
HER STUDIO, CUTS THEM UP
INTO ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT
SHAPES AND SIZES AND THEN
COLEAGES THEM BACK TOGETHER
TO CREATE THESE ABSTRACT
SCULPTURES, LOOK WHAT SHE
HAS DONE WITH THE TIRES HERE
THEY ARE MUCH SMALLER, THEY
ARE MUCH POINTIER.
THIS SIDE IS ALMOST LIKE
HAIR OR FUROR BRISTLES.
THE OTHER SIDE IS ALMOST
LIKE SCALES LIKE ON A FISH.
>> Reporter: HERE IS THE
THING IS IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS
FEATHERY, LIKE IT IS GOING
TO BE NICE AND YOU ARE
ALLOWED TO TOUCH OUTSIDE AND
YOU TOUCH IT AND IT IS ROUGH
AND HARD.
I CAN'T EVEN COMPREHEND HOW
THIS WOMAN DOES THIS.
>> WITH TOOLS.
AND ASSISTANCE.
>> Reporter: WHY TIRES?
>> CHAKAIA HAS ALWAYS WORKED
WITH DISCARDED MATERIALS.
BECAUSE THEY'RE FREE.
AND THEY'RE PLENTIFUL.
>> Reporter: THE CURATOR HAS
FOLLOWED AND KNOWN BOOKER
FOR 20 YEARS.
BUT THE ART WORLD BEGAN TO
KNOW HER, HE SAYS, AFTER
THIS MONUMENTAL 20 FEET LONG
12 FEET HIGH PIECE BECAME
THE MOST-SEE AT THE 2000
WHITNY BIENNIAL.
>> THE OTHER SCULPTURES
DON'T DO AS MUCH WITH
MATERIALS THAT ARE A WHOLE
LOT EASIER TO USE.
AND YOU KNOW, JUST KEPT ME
COMING BACK AND WANTING
MORE.
TO SEE WHERE SHE WAS GOING
WITH ALL OF THIS.
>> Reporter: THE DECORDOVA
SHOW SPANS 20 YEARS OF
BOOKER'S CAREER.
MASSIVE PIECES AND SMALL
ONES.
THERE IS A STRIKING DEPAR
TURE TITLED DOROTHY'S SHOES
AND A COLLECTION OF PRINTS.
>> SHE MAKES THEM IN KIND OF
A SIMILAR WAY.
SHE TAKES GREAT BIG PIECES
OF PAPER, ROLLS THEM OUT ON
A TABLE IN THE STUDIO AND
PAINTS AND DRAWS ON THEM.
AND THEN SHE CUTS THEM UP
JUST LIKE SHE DOES THE
TIRES.
AND THEN SHE COULD LADGES
THEM BACK TOGETHER ON A
BOARD.
>> Reporter: ON VIEW HERE
BOOKER'S EVOLUTION AS AN
ARTIST REVIEWS HER WORK
GROWING MORE COMPLEX, MORE
CHALLENGING, MORE
FASCINATING THIS IS CHAKAIA
BOOKER IN AND OUT, AND NOT
TO BE MISSED.
>> Rooney: WHERE IS SHE FROM
IN WHO IS SHE.
>> I BELIEVE RIGHT OFF THE
BAT YOU ASKED THE QUESTION I
CAN'T ANSWER, I THINK IT IS
BROOKLYN, SHE IS ABOUT 57
YEARS OLD AND THERE IS A LOT
OF MYSTERY ABOUT HER.
I MISSED MY CHANCE
UNFORTUNATELY TO SEE HER AT
THE DECORDOVA AND INTERVIEW.
BUT HE TOLD ME EVEN IF YOU
DO TALK TO HER SHE WILL TALK
IN CIRCLES BECAUSE SHE
REALLY WANTS TO LEAVE HER
ART AS A MYSTERY AN NOT
LEAVE THE DETAILS WHICH IS
THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT
IT.
IS YOU CAN WALK IN AND HAVE
YOUR OWN BLIND IMPRESSION
WITHOUT BEING STEERED IN ONE
DIRECTION OR ANOTHER.
>> IT IS SO INTERESTING
BECAUSE MANY OF THESE PIECES
ARE REALLY WHIMSICAL.
YOU GET THAT ONE THAT WAS
GOT HER ESTABLISHED IN THE
WHIT NYE, MORE OF THE WHITNY
VARIETY, THE ONE THAT
COLLECTS THOSE HORRORS EVERY
YEAR THAT ONE COULD HAVE
BEEN IN THAT CATEGORY.
>> WHAT BLEW PEOPLE AWAY WAS
FIRST OF ALL THE SCOPE OF
IT.
AND THAT SHE IS USING TIRES.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT PIECE
WHICH IS SO MONUMENTAL,
FIRST OF ALL YOU HAVE ALL
THESE DIFFERENT FEELS.
I FELT A LITTLE SORT OF LIKE
I WAS BEING ENGULFED BY THE
PIECES, A LITTLE
INTIMIDATING WHEREAS I READ
SEBASTIAN SMEE'S PIECE AND
HE THOUGHT IT WAS HAIR, SORT
OF I THINK THINKING ABOUT
HER AFRICAN-AMERICAN
BACKGROUND AND HOW MUCH SHE
WORKS AFRICAN-AMERICAN
TEXTURES IT, HOW THE TIRES
HAVE TEXTURES IN DIFFERENT
FORMS AND MUCH LIKE FABRIC.
AND SO ON FROM THE CULTURE.
BUT SO WHEN YOU SEE A PIECE
LIKE THAT AND SEE HOW IT'S
DONE, IT'S REALLY, REALLY
FASCINATING.
>> I WONDER HOW SHE CUTS
THAT STUFF.
I MEAN HAS TIRES ALWAYS
BEEN --
>> IT'S ALWAYS TIRES.
AND HE SPECULATES THERE IS
DIFFERENT THEORIES, ONE, THE
OBVIOUS IT'S IMPORTANT TO
RECYCLE.
ANOTHER IS SHE IS TAKING
SOMETHING THAT HAS COME OUT
OF AMERICAN INDUSTRY, MODERN
AMERICAN FACTORIES AND DOING,
MAKING ART WITH IT.
AND THE THIRD IS AS I WAS
MENTIONING T IS IN REFERENCE
TO AFRICAN AMERICAN
TEXTURES.
>> Rooney: DOES SHE MAKE A
LIVING.
YOU CAN BUY ONE OF THESE,
WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE IT
ANYWHERE.
>> SHE IS A VERY, VERY
SIGNIFICANT, AND VERY
IMPORTANT ARTIST NOW SO I'M
SURE A LOT OF HER PIECE GOES
DIRECTLY INTO MUSEUMS.
BUT I WISH I REALLY COULD
HAVE MET HER BECAUSE THE WAY
HE DESCRIBED HER, IN
ADDITION TO THE MYSTERY, YOU
SAW FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHS TOO,
SHE GETS UP AND HER THEORY
IS I HAVE TO SKULL MYSELF
FIRST IN THE MORNING SO THAT
IS WHAT SHE DOES, SHE
USUALLY WEARS A HEAD BEAST.
SHE IS VERY DRAMATIC LOOKING
JUST LIKE HER ART.
>> Rooney: ALL RIGHT, JARED
BOWEN, FASCINATING.
THAT IS IT FOR GREATER
BOSTON.
A REMIND TER TO TUNE INTO
THE NEW 89.7 WGBH AT NOON
TOMORROW.
MY GUEST IS ROBERT CHETACOFF,
THE ATTORNEY FOR ONE OF
THOSE ACCUSED RUSSIAN SPYS,
AND FOLLOWED BY CALLIE
CROSSLEY AT 1:00MENT
TOMORROW GOVERNOR DEVAL
PATRICK AS WE CONTINUE OUR
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE
CANDIDATE, TOMORROW AT 7:00.
I'M EMILY ROONEY.
GOOD NIGHT.+++ATH0